History Highlight:

Today in 2020, Mt. Joy released their second studio album, Rearrange Us. The album was recorded the previous summer in Portland, Oregon, with producer Tucker Martine. The title track was released as a teaser on Oct. 16, 2019, with three others — “Every Holiday,” “Strangers” and “Let Loose” —  trickling out in the run-up to the full album’s release. Although Rearrange Us debuted at No. 197 on the Billboard 200, it debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's New Artist Albums chart and its Alternative New Artist Album chart, and was No. 2 on the Americana/Folk Albums chart, and the vinyl version of the album was the biggest-selling record in the U.S. during its first week of release. With the album releasing in the days following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Mt. Joy donated its first-week sale proceeds from Rearrange Us to Campaign Zero, a nonprofit committed to reducing police violence.

Also, Today In: 

1956 - Elvis Presley appeared on ABC TV's Milton Berle Show. During the performance, Presley abruptly halted an up tempo rendition of "Hound Dog" with a wave of his arm and launched into a slow, grinding version accentuated with energetic, exaggerated body movements. Presley's gyrations created a storm of controversy. 

1959 - Robert Zimmerman, later known as Bob Dylan, graduated from Hibbing High School in northern Minnesota. While in high school, Zimmerman formed several bands; one of those bands, the Golden Chords, performed covers of songs by Little Richard and Elvis Presley. The Golden Chords' performance of Danny and the Juniors' "Rock and Roll Is Here to Stay" at their high school talent show was reportedly so loud that the principal cut the microphone. In the 1959 Hematite — the Hibbing High School yearbook — young Bob's photo is captioned, "Robert Zimmerman: to join Little Richard," and it notes that Bob was a member of the Latin and Social Studies clubs. 

1961 - Roy Orbison went to No. 1 on the U.S. chart with "Running Scared."   

1974 - Patti Smith recorded her first song, a cover of the Hendrix classic, "Hey Joe." 

1979 - Earth, Wind & Fire released their ninth studio album, I Am. It features "After the Love Has Gone" and “Boogie Wonderland.”

1979 - Dire Straits released their second studio album, Communiqué. It features the singles "Lady Writer" and "Once Upon a Time in the West."

1983 - during a 48-date North American tour, U2 played at Red Rocks Amphitheater near Denver. Despite it almost getting cancelled due to rain and inclement weather, the moody concert was recorded and released as U2 Live At Red Rocks: Under A Blood Red Sky. Originally released in 1984 on videocassette, the video gained the Irish rock band more global attention and a reputation as incredible live performers.  

1990 - New Kids on the Block released their fourth studio album, Step By Step. It features the title track, “Valentine Girl,” “Tonight,” and “Let’s Try It Again.”

1993 - Country singer Conway Twitty died from an abdominal aortic aneurysm.  

1995 - Rage Against The Machine went to No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with Evil Empire. The album's title is taken from the phrase "evil empire", which was used by former US President Ronald Reagan and many conservatives in describing the former Soviet Union. The album won the 1996 Grammy award for Best Metal Performance.  

2000 - Kasey Chambers released her solo debut album, The Captain. It features the title track.

2001 - Lucinda Williams released her sixth studio album, Essence. It features "Get Right With God."

2001 - Rufus Wainwright released his second studio album, Poses. It features “Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk” and “One Man Guy.”

2001 - John Mayer released his debut studio album, Room for Squares. It features the singles "No Such Thing," "Your Body Is a Wonderland," and "Why Georgia."

2002 - Dee Dee Ramone (Douglas Glenn Colvin), bass guitarist with The Ramones, died at age 49 at his Hollywood, Calif., apartment of a heroin overdose.

2003 - Metallica released their eighth studio album, St. Anger.

2006 - Frightened Rabbit released their debut stuiod album, Sing the Greys. It features “Be Less Rude” and “The Greys.”

2007 - Paul McCartney released his 21st solo album, Memory Almost Full, on the new Hear Music Starbucks label. The album was subsequently played non-stop in more than 10,000 Starbucks outlets across 29 countries. 

2012 - Tom Cruise starred as rocker Stacee Jaxx in the film adaptation of the Broadway hit Rock of Ages, an homage to '80s rock and glam metal that featured songs from Bon Jovi, Twisted Sister, Pat Benatar, and Journey.  

2015 - Muse released their seventh studio album, Drones. It features “Mercy,” “Dead Inside,” “Revolt,” “Aftermath,” and “Reapers.”

2016 - The four members of ABBA performed alongside one another for the first time since 1982 at a private gala to mark 50 years since songwriting duo Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson met for the first time in Stockholm. The impromptu performance reportedly began when Agnetha Faltskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstadon recited their 1980 hit "Me and I" as a tribute to Andersson and Ulvaeus, before the two others joined in and made the reunion official.  

2018 - The musical Jagged Little Pill, based on Alanis Morissette's 1995 album of the same name, debuted at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts. 

2019 - Forbes magazine announced that Rihanna was the richest female musician in the world. The singer had amassed a fortune of about $600 million, largely through her music and makeup business. Her Fenty Beauty line launched in 2017 reportedly made $100 million in its first 40 days. Rihanna's wealth put her ahead of Madonna, Celine Dion and Beyonce. 

2020 - Sports Team released their debut album, Deep Down Happy.

2023 - Brazillian singer Astrud Gilberto died in Philadelphia at the age of 83.

Birthdays: 

Laurie Anderson is 78.

Badfinger singer Tom Evans was born today in 1947. 

Guitarist Freddie Stone of Sly and the Family Stone is 78.

Nicko McBrain, drummer for Iron Maiden, is 73. 

Kenny G is 69. 

Richard Butler, lead singer of Psychedelic Furs, is 69.

Brian McKnight is 56.

Actor and singer Mark Wahlberg, also known as Marky Mark, is 54. 

Pete Wentz, Fall Out Boy bassist, is 46.

Troye Sivan (Mellet), born in Johannesburg, South Africa, is 30. At age two, Sivan’s family relocated to Perth in Western Australia. From his early teens, Sivan has worked extensively in music, acting, and fashion. He was also on YouTube early in his career, and has grown an audience of more than eight million followers. He has released three full-length studio albums, the most recent being 2023’s Something to Give Each Other. Sivan publicly came out as gay in 2013, and often incorporates LGBTQ+ storylines and themes into his music videos.

Highlights for Today in Music History are gathered from This Day in Music, Paul Shaffer's Day in Rock, Song Facts and Wikipedia.